


The Course Of True Love Never Did Run Smooth

by BeautifulMusings



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Fluff, Genetic Engineering, Hurt/Comfort, Husbands, Injury, M/M, Married Couple, Relationship Reveal, Romance, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:27:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24752356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulMusings/pseuds/BeautifulMusings
Summary: Takes place after 'The Wire' but before 'Improbable Cause'.Julian and Elim have been in a secret relationship for over two years. However, when Julian is suddenly taken ill the web of lies that they have meticulously woven unravels about them, and they are both forced to face up to their pasts in order to keep a hold of what they have.
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Comments: 19
Kudos: 89





	1. For Your Eyes Only

At around 1700 hours Miles O’Brien was finishing off his last job of the day in the infirmary of DS9. The deep-tissue scanner in one of the biobeds had shown a fault during its last diagnostic and Miles was determined to get to the bottom of it in the next half hour so he could finish up for the day and go home to Keiko and Molly. Julian had peered over his shoulder at first, fastidiously making mental notes of the repairs, until Miles had insisted that Julian go back to his workstation as his intense scrutiny was _“frankly making him feel darn uncomfortable”_. Julian was now sat reviewing the medical notes of the patient that he would be seeing first thing in the morning.

“You know you shouldn’t worry so much about finding ‘the one’,” spoke Miles, choosing to break the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. Julian glanced over at him with a quizzical expression. “For some it is love at first sight, but for some it takes longer - you grow to love a person little by little and before you know it your life as you knew it is over,” he advised with his eyes set on the biobed’s control panel. Julian’s brows were furrowed, he went to say something in reply, but Miles got in first, “what I am trying to say is that you can’t force love. It’s just too bloody stubborn.”

“Whoever said I was trying to force love?” inquired Julian, genuinely curious.

“I notice things,” said Miles. He then stopped keying in commands and looked over at his friend. His expression was serious. “Last week for instance you spent four hours mulling over which holosuite programme to purchase. Paris in the 1920s or a late 20th century Caribbean cruise. And then the other day you spent two hours at Garak’s getting fitted for a three-piece suit, in addition to the two pairs of trousers you brought from his shop the week before. Not to mention the week before that you spent several hours in the jewellery shop by the Klingon restaurant.”

“How do you know I spent several hours in the jewellery shop?” asked Julian.

“Dax told me,” replied Miles with a shrug. “She had seen you in there when she headed for lunch, and when she had finished and was leaving the restaurant she noticed you were still there. Like I said - I notice things,” repeated Miles. “But in my opinion you are trying too hard. You don’t need to Julian. You need to let it happen naturally. Trust me, it will.”

“It would seem that nothing escapes your keen observation chief,” commented Julian with a wry smile. “I appreciate your concern Miles but I am not worried, I promise you that. Can I ask how it is you knew that I had been debating between those two holoprograms?”

“Quark,” answered Miles simply. Julian sighed and shook his head, of course it had been Quark. “Which one did you go for in the end?,” inquired Miles as he turned his attention back to the biobed.

“The Caribbean,” answered Julian after a pause. “A luxurious private yacht, a warm night, and above you only the cover of stars. It was just too good to pass up.” As he was speaking his left hand had subconsciously found the piece of jewellery which hung on a chain about his neck under his uniform. He felt the ring beneath the material. When Julian realised what he was doing he quickly brought his hand down to the workstation and anxiously glanced over at Miles; he hadn’t noticed anything.

“Have you taken a lucky lady there yet?” asked Miles.

“Nope. No lucky lady I’m afraid,” replied Julian as he forced his attention back to the medical notes.

“It must have cost you quite a few bars of latinum,” considered Miles. “That sort of holoprogram can be used as a date I guess, but they tend to be used more for honeymoons.”

“I had no idea.”

*** * * * * ***

A little after 1800 hours Julian Bashir returned to his quarters. As the door shut behind him he strode over to the Cardassian that was looking out of the window and pulled him into a long deep kiss. Elim was at first a little surprised, but then he kissed the young man back just as eagerly and let his hand glide over Julian’s Starfleet uniform. At last they came up for air and Julian closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Elim’s chufa. He felt at peace.

“I honestly don’t know what I would do without you,” Julian mused as he opened his eyes and met Elim’s sparkling ones.

“And I you,” mused Elim as he leaned in and kissed Julian tenderly.

“I still struggle to believe that we are actually doing this,” confessed Julian once their kiss had ended.

“I still can’t believe that I let you talk me into this,” commented Elim as he moved over to the table which needed to be set for dinner. Julian raised an eyebrow and watched him as he went, a smile playing on his lips.

“Skulking around in the dark? Clandestine meetings? Weaving an intricate web of lies to keep your true life concealed? I’d have thought it would have been second nature to you” Julian quipped.

“While I will admit that certain aspects of this relationship did come quite naturally - allowing myself to fall in love, letting down the walls that I had spent years building, and trusting you with my innermost secrets - that was all very far from natural my dear,” replied Elim. “Not to mention the ring, the wedding, and our honeymoon albeit for one day. I can assure you that these are not quite the clandestine meetings I am used to.”

“About that honeymoon,” began Julian. “Miles found out from Quark that I had spent rather a long time musing over the Caribbean holoprogram before purchasing it. He also noticed that I had spent time at the jewellers, and that I had been into your shop quite a few times.” Julian watched as Elim sighed, lent forward, and rested his hands on the table that he had been setting.

“O’Brien is more observant than I give him credit,” Elim said, lifting his head and looking across the table at Julian. “We shall have to be more discreet going forward.”

“Don’t give him too much credit” said Julian. “He thinks that I am trying to up my game in order to seduce a beautiful woman. I think he is several light years from realising that you are the love of my life. In fact, I think I could spend an hour buying a new pair of trousers from your shop every day for a whole year and he would still be none the wiser.”

“Indeed” spoke Elim, but he was unable to completely keep the hurt from his voice. Julian noticed it of course and he moved over to stand behind him.

“Elim you do know that I don’t care what Miles would think about us being together don’t you? It is just you I care about. Your opinion is the only one that matters to me,” promised Julian. As Elim turned around to reply Julian instead captured his mouth in a kiss. Julian’s arms held Elim close as the Cardassian moved them backwards so that Julian was pressed hard against the wall.

“Dinner can wait I think,” breathed Julian.

“Most definitely,” agreed Elim.

*** * * * * ***

At 0300 hours Elim Garak felt a chill along the right side of his body which caused him to wake. Where Julian was laid against him he realised that he had become very cold. He anxiously pushed himself up in the bed. His reptilian eyes saw that Julian was completely motionless.

Elim shook him but there was no response. His body was cold. He seemed dead. “Julian, Julian Bashir! Wake up! Wake up!” There was again no response. Elim refused to let his fear take a hold of him and he shakily felt for a pulse. It was there. He had never felt more relieved in his life, but he knew that the pulse was weak. He saw that Julian was still breathing; but it was very shallow. Elim quickly got to his feet. His legs threatened to give way under him, but he persevered, and he made his way over to the console on the wall. He found the emergency key and called for medical assistance.

“This is Garak. I need…I need medical assistance in Doctor Bashir’s quarters immediately. He is cold and unconscious. He has a weak pulse and is breathing shallowly but he won’t wake up. He is very cold. Please hurry,” he breathed as he released the key.

“Mr Garak stay with him. A team is on its way,” came a voice which Elim recognised as that of Ensign Kahrimanis. Elim turned back to the room, he quickly threw on his trousers and a tunic. He then returned to Julian’s side and took a hold of a hand. He contemplated whether he should remove the ring from around Julian's neck. He did. He took the gold ring from its chain and placed it on the fourth finger of Julian’s left hand. He could probably have invented some outrageous lie, but in his heart he knew that their relationship had little hope of remaining a secret now.


	2. Die Another Day

“What happened to him? Why isn’t he waking up?” pressed Elim as he ran a hand worriedly through his mussed black hair. The Cardassian’s eyes were wild with anxiety.

As soon as the medical team had arrived at Julian’s quarters they had put a hypospray to his neck and, after a cursory glance at the tricorder readings, they had used an emergency transport to put him in a biobed. That was twenty minutes ago, since then Julian’s stats had continued to fluctuate, at times falling dangerously low.

Elim watched on as Kahrimanis administered what seemed liked the tenth hypospray. The ensign let out a sigh of relief as Julian’s stats held steady.

“Mr Garak, Doctor Bashir’s condition appears to be stable at last. As you may have gathered from what we were doing just now, he appears to be fighting a potent poison. That is why he is in this coma. Unfortunately, I cannot revive Doctor Bashir without having a way to counteract the poison. Do you understand what I am telling you?” asked Kahrimanis gently.

“Yes,” breathed Elim as he gradually inched closer to Julian’s side; it was like he was asleep. Elim tentatively took Julian’s hand in his own and squeezed it - he noted that it was no longer cold to touch.

“Nurse Kabo has taken a blood sample from Doctor Bashir and we will analyse it carefully – we should hopefully be able to create an effective antidote and relieve his coma.”

“Thank you Ensign,” replied Elim, his eyes still on Julian. “I…I am so sorry Julian. I promise that I will fix this.”

“Mr Garak, I am sorry to have to do this, but it would be very helpful if you could recount everything that has happened to Doctor Bashir in the past 24 hours. It may give us a better idea of what we are dealing with. I would suggest that we do this in the privacy of his office,” requested Kahrimanis.

“Of course,” agreed Elim, he reluctantly pulled his eyes away from Julian and followed Kahrimanis.

*** * * * * ***

Kahrimanis took the chair behind Julian’s workstation and Elim took the chair opposite. He rested his hands on his thighs – subconsciously they worked to straighten out the creases of his trousers.

“Mr Garak, I need to know the details of everything that Doctor Bashir has eaten and drunk over the past 24 hours. Also, the details of everywhere he’s gone and the people he’s met with.” Elim nodded his understanding and, after taking a moment to collect himself, he began.

“We both awoke at 0730 hours. Julian got up, showered, and we had breakfast together. Julian had what he usually has - hot buttered scones, moba jam, and a mug of red leaf tea. It was all made by the replicator.”

“And what did you have?”

“I had scrambled eggs on toast, also with red leaf tea. Julian then left for work and I left to attend to my shop. Julian told me that he had lunch with Jadzia at the Klingon restaurant. He usually orders Gagh, but you would have to check with Jadzia to be sure. I returned to Julian’s quarters at just before 1800 hours and Julian arrived back…I would say…around 15 minutes after.” Elim then paused and considered how candid Ensign Kahrimanis expected him to be with regards to the details. “We were intimate,” said Elim delicately. “We then ate dinner together at 2000 hours. We each had a slice of something called a beef Wellington, with roasted potatoes, carrots and broccoli. It was all from the replicator. We had dinner with a glass of Kanar, not from the replicator. It was my own bottle - we had started it a couple of nights ago. We then read and talked together for around two hours. Julian had a couple of mugs of Tarkalean tea, extra sweet. Again, from the replicator.”

“And yourself?”

“I had a further glass of Kanar and then I joined Julian with the Tarkalean tea, I prefer my Tarkalean tea unsweetened. We also enjoyed some Delavian chocolates, not from the replicator…We were intimate again, and then we went to sleep, I think it was probably around 2300 hours.”

“Mr Garak, this may seem personal, but was this the first time that you and Doctor Bashir were ‘intimate’ as you put it?”

“No,” answered Elim. “Julian and I have been together for over two years now.”

“I had no idea,” stated Kahrimanis as he readjusted himself in the chair.

“We were married only last week, no guests. It was legal by Terran standards. Julian wanted to ensure that if anything were to ever happen to either of us, we could be there for each other. Regretfully inter-species enjoinment is illegal on Cardassia, as is marriage between two males for that matter. ‘Enjoinment’ is an institution the sole purpose of which is to serve Cardassia - through procreation. Our relationship status should be stated in the confidential section of Julian’s personal file,” Elim explained.

“I understand Mr Garak,” spoke Kahrimanis. “I am grateful for your assistance, and for what it is worth I am glad that Doctor Bashir has you, it is obvious that you care about him a great deal. I now need to return to analysing the poison. I also need to make the command team aware of the situation - it is unlikely that the poison was encountered accidentally.”

“Of course,” replied Elim.

*** * * * * ***

As Miles entered the infirmary, accompanied by Jadzia, his eyes immediately latched onto Elim who was stood by Julian’s side.

“What’s the Cardi doing here?” asked Miles. The Irishman’s entrance startled Elim and he reluctantly put a little distance between himself and Julian.

“Mr Garak was the one that found Doctor Bashir,” replied Kahrimanis from behind his workstation.

“How is he?” asked Miles as he and Jadzia crossed the room to the biodbed.

“His condition is stable for now. However, until we find an antidote for the poison, we won’t be able to revive him.”

“Do you know anything about this?” asked Miles in an accusatory tone. Elim narrowed his eyes at him.

“Do you really think that if I had poisoned Julian, I would have been the one to call for medical assistance?” retorted Elim. “That seems rather counter-productive don’t you think?”

“I don’t know how your mind works, but frankly I wouldn’t put anything past you,” stated Miles. He paused, and then the inevitable question came. “How come you were the one to find him?”

“I was in bed, asleep, and then I woke up,” replied Elim simply, choosing to let Miles put two and two together.

“What do you mean? Are you saying that you sensed that Julian was in danger empathically?”

At this Elim’s expression turned from one of defensiveness to amusement. A whole year of trouser fittings indeed! However, Elim noted that Jadzia had understood well enough his implication. He watched as her jaw dropped slightly. She then schooled her features and arched a brow.

“I don’t think Garak is an empath Miles,” commented Jadzia. Miles continued to look confused, and Elim found the initial amusement that he had derived from Miles’ reaction to be waning. He let out a sigh.

“Is it really so unfathomable that the reason I found Julian at 0300 hours in his quarters, in his bed, was because we had gone to sleep together, because he and I are romantically involved?” posed Elim. Miles narrowed his eyes and shook his head defiantly.

“You’re lying,” he stated matter-of-factly. “That’s utterly ridiculous. There is no way in hell that Julian would ever sleep with you. I know my friend. He has standards higher than Cardassians, and certainly higher than former agents of the Obsidian Order,” he retorted, his voice rising as his anger built.

“Chief O’Brien, Mr Garak is listed as Doctor Bashir’s next-of-kin in his personal file,” interjected Kahrimanis.

“Then the record is clearly forged!” exclaimed Miles.

“Julian knew that you would react like this,” said Elim calmly. “Your reaction right now is the precise reason he never told you about us being together.”

“Don’t…don’t you dare speak like you know him…” warned Miles, shaking a finger at him and then directing it at the biobed. “I am 100% sure that Julian is laying here because of you.”

“That much we can agree on, but he is not here because I poisoned him,” emphasised Elim.

“I am fed up with your double-meanings, just tell the truth for once” demanded Miles. As he spoke Sisko, Odo and Kira entered the infirmary.

“I am telling you the truth” replied Elim. “Julian and I started to see each other romantically after we first met in the replimat. We have shared numerous lunches together, romantic dinners, dates in the holosuite, and for the past year we have been living together in his quarters.” Elim raised his chin proudly as he continued. “He is extremely happy with this Cardassian I promise you - even though you believe me to be so far below his standards. He is so happy in fact that he said ‘yes’ when I asked him to marry me. Marrying Julian was the best day of my life Chief O'Brien. I am sure that Julian would have loved for you to have been his ‘best man’, but he just knew that this would have been your reaction. The Caribbean holoprogram was wonderful by the way - the perfect destination for a honeymoon.” Miles went to lunge at Elim, but Jadzia managed to grab a hold of him just in time.

“Calm down,” spoke Jadzia sternly. “Julian is in a coma! You and Garak can settle your differences later but right now we need to concentrate on getting Julian out of this.”

Miles reluctantly backed down and bit back the remarks he wanted to hurl at the Cardassian.

“What can you tell me about Julian’s condition?” asked Sisko, as he, Kira and Odo approached the biobed.

“There is a high quantity of a potent poison in Doctor Bashir’s body,” stated Kahrimanis. “There is no record of it in the federation database and the computer has so far been unable to devise an antidote. In light of the quantity of the poison in his system, it is likely that he ingested it sometime in the past 24 hours, though most likely in the past 8 hours given his rapid deterioration. We were unable to find any puncture wounds or evidence of dermal regeneration to suggest that the poison was injected.”

“I see,” commented Sisko.

“I had a brief conversation with Mr Garak before you arrived,” continued Kahrimanis. “It would appear that other than a glass of Kanar and some Delavian chocolates, which Mr Garak also consumed, everything that Doctor Bashir has ingested over the past 8 hours was replicated in his quarters.”

“I will examine the replicator in Doctor Bashir’s quarters very carefully,” stated Odo. “As well as the past 24 hours of security footage from the hallway outside.” Sisko nodded his agreement.

“You should also review the security footage from the hallway outside my own quarters,” added Elim.

"Why should we do that?" asked Sisko.

“When Julian and I decided to live together we installed a discrete transporter in our respective quarters," replied Elim. "We didn’t want our relationship to become public knowledge, and obviously me coming and going from Julian’s quarters every day would have raised suspicion.”

“The instalment of a private transporter should have been declared to station security,” observed Odo.

“Garak,” spoke Jadzia, “you said that you agreed with Miles that Julian was here because of you, what did you mean by that exactly?”

“What I meant was that this does not appear to have been an accident, and that I have a lot more enemies than Julian does-”

“-due to your past as an agent of the Obsidian Order?” interjected Miles.

“Precisely,” replied Elim. “I was a high ranking official in the Obsidian Order for many years.” Elim was more than willing to bare his soul to the world if it meant Julian waking up again.

“Can you think of anyone that would want to exact revenge on you?” asked Kira.

“I was in exile as by Cardassian standards I had committed treason – for many that would be reason enough. Some do have more reason than others to want to see me suffer, but I can’t say that I have received any threats recently. I may have been an agent of the Obsidian Order but for the past two years I have just been a tailor,” replied Elim truthfully. Sisko nodded and took a moment to consider the situation.

“Jadzia I want you to compile a list of all Cardassians, and known Cardassian affiliates, that have visited this station in the past week. Major, I would like you to assist Mr Garak in drawing up a list of all those with a particular enmity towards him, and O’Brien, I want you to give the transporter in Julian’s quarters a thorough examination. We will meet in the board room in one hour, including Mr Garak.” The command team nodded, and Jadzia, Odo and Miles left the infirmary. “Ensign let me know the moment that there is a change in Doctor Bashir's condition - for the better or for the worse. I will be in my ready room in case you need me."


	3. The Spy Who Loved Me

“Julian and Garak,” mumbled Miles to himself as he removed a hyperspanner from his engineering kit and turned his attention to the transporter concealed in the corner of Julian’s quarters. “Did you see that coming Odo?”

“Honestly Chief? I take very little interest in the romantic predilections of the people on this station,” he replied tersely.

“You don’t find their relationship to be surprising at all?” asked Miles.

“No, not really,” answered Odo as he started the diagnostic programme running on the replicator. Miles raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Knowing that it was unlikely that Miles would allow the conversation to end there, Odo begrudgingly decided to provide Miles with an explanation as he began to examine Julian’s quarters. “Cardassians entering into inter-species relationships is indeed uncommon, but it is not unprecedented. During the occupation several Cardassians on this station had Bajoran concubines. If you consider that there are now no other Cardassians here, other than Mr Garak, I do not find it that surprising that he would enter into a relationship with a person such as Doctor Bashir.”

“What do you mean by ‘a person such as Doctor Bashir’?” questioned Miles.

“What I mean Chief - is that only someone who possesses an _exceptionally_ large capacity to forgive, who is _especially_ understanding, and who is _ridiculously_ optimistic, could maintain a relationship with our station’s 'tailor',” explained Odo. "They also appear to share an interest in literature."

“I think you’ve just described someone who is _very_ naïve,” stated Miles as he laid down the hyperspanner and withdrew a sonic driver from his kit, “and installing this transporter was downright reckless. When Julian does wake up, I am going to have one or two things to say to him” muttered Miles angrily. “Extension courses don’t qualify you to rig up something like this – he’s lucky that he’s not lost in sub-space if you ask me. Not that the infirmary is anywhere much better mind you...,” he sighed. “I just want to get him better as quickly as possible.”

Odo nodded in agreement.

*** * * * * ***

Over forty minutes later, and with the transporter in pieces and spread out across the floor, Miles finally managed to find the variance in the memory banks that he had been searching for. It was extremely slight, something that only a seasoned transporter operator would have detected, but it was there.

“Odo! I’ve got something!” exclaimed Miles.

“What have you found?” asked Odo as he quickly crossed the room to where Miles was.

“It is very subtle, but I can see what they did...they spiked the Tarkelean tea!”

“I scanned the replicator – everything was just as it should be,” commented Odo.

“Whoever did this to Julian stored the poison in the memory banks of the transporter," explained Miles as he passed his data pad to Odo so that he could check the findings for himself. "On hearing the voice command of 'Tarkelean tea, extra sweet' the transporter was programmed to materialise the poison into the replicated Tarkelean tea. There would have been no need to interfere with the replicator at all."

“That is very clever...” Odo mused. “Is there a time index for when the poison was first stored in the transporter's memory banks?”

“1100 hours yesterday,” replied Miles. “The transporter is not very powerful so they would have had to have done this from a docked shipped. A hack this complex must have taken a minimum of four hours.”

“We should go and inform the others at once,” said Odo. Miles nodded and after collecting his kit he followed Odo out of Julian’s quarters towards the boardroom. Their hour was up.

*** * * * * ***

“Sweetened Tarkelean tea,” repeated Sisko. He lent back on his chair and shook his head slowly in disbelief. Around the boardroom table were seated Miles, Odo, Kira, Jadzia, and Elim, with Kahrimanis participating though a comm screen from the infirmary.

“Whoever did this must have known Julian’s routine in minutiae detail,” commented Kira. “Including the fact that there was a private teleporter installed in his quarters.”

“They were undoubtedly Obsidian Order,” spoke Elim. “Either a former or current agent.”

“Dax, which ships were docked at the station between 0700 and 1100 hours yesterday?” asked Sisko sitting upright in his chair again.

“There were twelve ships docked at the station between those hours,” informed Jadzia as she pulled up the list and transferred it to the main display. Elim’s eyes scanned the list carefully – his eyes widened at the name of the last ship. “I can bring up the manifest for each ship if you would like?” offered Jadzia.

“That will not be necessary Lieutenant Dax,” interjected Elim. “Whoever did this was on the last ship on that list, though I highly doubt you will find anything useful in the manifest.”

“How do you know they were on _The Mila_?” asked Sisko.

“The ship’s name is of personal significance to me,” replied Elim as he shifted in his chair – he found that speaking the truth made him physically, as well as mentally, uncomfortable. After taking a few moments to collect himself he continued, “'Mila' is my mother’s name Commander. She is the housekeeper of a man called Enabran Tain.” Elim noticed that both Odo and Kira startled at the name. “I believe it was Enabran Tain who arranged for Julian to be put into this coma.”

“Enabran Tain, why do I know that name?” inquired Sisko.

“Tain is the former head of the Obsidian Order,” answered Odo. “He is an extremely dangerous man by all accounts.”

“He would certainly have had the means,” commented Kira. “But why target you through Julian?”

“Tain was a very vocal proponent of my exile, perhaps he wanted it to be as miserable as possible and Julian stood in the way of that,” replied Elim casually. “However,” he continued, decidedly more grimly, “I suspect that there is more to this than simply revenge. Julian is in a coma; he is not dead. This is an invitation to meet.”

“You sure have a strange way of doing things in the Obsidian Order,” commented Miles.

“What do you mean by an invitation to meet?” questioned Jadzia.

“I mean, that by arranging for whoever did this to be on a ship called _The Mila_ , Tain chose to make it perfectly apparent to myself that it was he who had arranged for Julian to be poisoned,” explained Elim. “He will expect me to go to him and request the antidote for which I imagine there will be a price to pay. Tain will want something that I wouldn’t ordinarily give him.”

“Do you have any idea what he wants?” asked Kira.

“I have no idea at all,” replied Elim honestly. “Major, I have not spoken with Tain in a long time, not since my exile. Julian met him once, when he was trying to find a way to remove a cranial implant which had been inserted while I was an agent of the Obsidian Order. I don’t think Julian quite understood how dangerous he was.”

“Do you know where Tain will want to meet?” asked Sisko.

“At his home I imagine. Tain is retired. He is living in the Arawath Colony in the mountains of the Rogarin Province. He is the only head of the Obsidian Order to have ever lived long enough to retire.”

“I can’t imagine Central Command will be of any assistance?” posed Sisko thinking aloud.

“I imagine Central Command’s first question will be on the basis of what evidence do we suspect Tain to be involved, to which our reply would be that a suspected ship shares its name with the first name of the mother of this station’s tailor, and that woman happens to be Tain’s housekeeper...” replied Odo dryly. “I can’t imagine the conversation will progress much past this point.”

“Damn it!” exclaimed Sisko and he slapped the table in frustration.

“Commander, this is not a game to which the normal rules apply,” spoke Elim unperturbed by the outburst. “But that works to our advantage too, for instance I highly doubt a shuttle from this station would encounter any resistance if it were to make a trip to the Arawath Colony. Julian’s best hope is for me to take a shuttle and meet with Tain.”

“Ensign Kahrimanis, what is Julian’s current condition?” asked Sisko.

“He is stable, but I have no idea how long I can sustain it," replied Kahrimanis. "I can’t synthesise an antidote and placing Doctor Bashir in stasis is not an option with this poison.”

“So, what you are saying is that obtaining an antidote can’t wait?” clarified Sisko.

“No, frankly it can’t, every minute matters. I have never encountered this poison before – Doctor Bashir is stable for now but there is no way to predict how long it will last,” replied Kahrimanis. Sisko gave a very large sigh. He lent back on his chair again.

“Alright Mr Garak, you can meet with Tain." Sisko did not like the plan, but he knew that he didn’t have much of a choice. “But I am not letting you go alone, Odo-”

“-I would like to go with him,” volunteered Miles. Sisko began to shake his head.

“Chief I don’t think that is a good-”

“-I know that you think I want to wring Garak’s scaly neck,” began Miles as he cut Sisko off, “and I won’t deny that the thought has crossed my mind today. However, Julian is my best friend sir. I would do anything for him, including working with Garak. I have fought Cardassians before sir, many times. If this mission goes south, and to be honest it seems to be based on a lot of conjecture right now, I would be useful both in the shuttle and on the ground.”

Sisko paused and considered the request. Eventually he found himself nodding.

“Okay Chief. You and Garak will go to the Arawath Colony. I suggest that you take a run-about and leave without delay. Dismissed.”

*** * * * * ***

The journey to the Arawath Colony took six hours. The longest six hours of Miles O’Brien and Elim Garaks’ lives. The silence in the run-about had been deafening - both Miles and Elim deciding that saying nothing was the safest course of action.

As expected, the run-about arrived without being intercepted by any vessels.

“Do you know the precise co-ordinates?” asked Miles as they established a steady orbit.

“Of course,” replied Elim as he dialled the co-ordinates into the console in front of him. He then stood up and accepted the Starfleet issue comm badge from Miles and put it on his tunic.

“Computer two to beam down. Energise.”

*** * * * * ***

Elim noticed immediately that the courtyard was very similar in design to the one that he had known as a boy on Cardassia Prime. A colonnade ran along three of the sides of the rectangular courtyard, along which buildings ran parallel. On the remaining side, which was behind them, was an imposing wall with a barred gate in the middle which led to the outside. The whole place was made of a dark grey stone. There was a fountain in the middle, and potted plants in each of the four corners.

A Cardassian woman, with greying hair and dressed in light blue, entered the courtyard from the building to their left.

The moment Elim caught sight of her he knew who she was.

“Mila,” breathed Elim, his eyes locked onto her as she walked over to him.

Elim saw that she was smiling - he hadn’t seen her smile in such a long time. He closed the short distance between them and took a hold of both her hands.

“I have missed you Elim,” she said raising her hands to his face. Her eyes were sparkling.

“I have missed you too. I thought I would never see you again.”

“I know Elim,” she smiled. “I know everything that has happened.”

“So you know what he has done?” asked Elim, stepping back and causing her hands to fall away.

“Yes, but it is not without reason. Trust me Elim." He shook his head vehmently.

“What do you mean?” retorted Elim angrily. “Tain has put my husband in a coma. Please do not defend him in this!”

Before she could reply a figure entered the courtyard through a doorway along the colonnade ahead of them.

“Elim!” greeted Tain with a wide smile. “I see that both you and Chief O’Brien have arrived safely.”

“I could kill you for what you’ve done,” fumed Elim.

“You could,” acknowledged Tain, “but where would that leave dear Julian?”

“Do you have an antidote?” asked Miles - wanting nothing more than to retrieve the antidote and beam back to the run-about.

“I’ve always wanted to meet you Chief Miles Edward O’Brien, a veteran of the Cardassian-Federation war, present in the aftermath of the Setlik III massacre-”

“-the antidote?” repeated Miles.

“Straight to the point, there is no deterring you is there?” observed Tain. “Of course I have the antidote, a dosage of it at least,” said Tain, the relief was clear on both Elim and Miles’ faces. “The dosage is enough to relieve dear Julian of all his symptoms for 60 days. There is no lasting cure for the poison you see,” explained Tain.

“That’s fine, we can replicate it once we are back at Deep Space Nine,” stated Miles.

“You can try Chief, but to my knowledge the key component cannot be replicated," stated Tain. He turned to Elim, “I am willing to give you the antidote, and to allow your dear Julian to receive the antidote every 60 days for the rest of his life, provided that you agree to my conditions.”

“What are they?” asked Elim.

“I want you to end all relations with Doctor Bashir, to return to Cardassia Prime, and to marry a Cardassian female from a respectable family.”

Elim moved his head from side to side in disbelief. Of all the requests that Tain could have made, Elim had never expected this. He had had no idea why Tain had poisoned Julian but never had he foreseen a scenario when, after meeting whatever demand Tain had made, he would not be back with Julian again.

“What? That doesn’t make any sense at all,” replied Elim. “Why do you care who I spend my life with? Or where I spend it?” 

“I have decided that I want to recognise you as my son. You are my heir, my legacy,” spoke Tain, his voice was as hard as the stone surrounding them. Elim’s eyes widened. “However, I cannot recognise you as such while you are romantically entangled with Doctor Bashir.”

“I am not merely romantically entangled with him. Julian is my husband-”

“-not by Cardassian standards,” interjected Tain.

Elim shook his head - he could not believe this was what Tain was demanding from him in exchange for Julian's life.

“Elim, can’t you see what Enabran is offering you – your exile will be over at last,” said Mila. She moved to take a hold of her son’s hand but Elim jerked it away.

“I have pledged myself to Julian for the rest of my life," spoke Elim fiercely, "until my dying day, because I love him. I can’t just give him up."

“What about Julian’s dying day? Because right now that day is fast approaching,” warned Tain. “These are my conditions for the antidote. They are non-negotiable.”

“What you are doing is unforgivable. I will forever hate you for this, that will be your legacy,” spat Elim.

“No, what you did all those years ago was unforgivable,” countered Tain equally as viciously. “In time you will learn to see that this is what is truly best for you.”

“Julian is what is best for me! Can't you see that? These last two years have been the happiest of my life, please do not ask this of me,” begged Elim, his voice breaking as the inevitability began to set in.

“You would be able to come back to Cardassia - isn’t that what you’ve always wanted Elim?”

“No. Everything I have ever wanted, and will ever want, is on Deep Space Nine," admitted Elim, unable to prevent tears from falling any longer.

“I promise you; your Doctor Bashir will never wake up if you do not agree to the terms, right here, right now. I will let him die,” threatened Tain.

Elim closed his eyes – he knew he had no choice but to accept the terms, but the pain of doing so was overwhelming him.

“Garak,” spoke Miles carefully. “I want you to know that I don’t agree with any of this. But we don’t have a choice,” he said honestly. “We need that antidote, and to return to Deep Space Nine with it.”

“Will you agree to the terms Elim - to end all relations with Doctor Bashir, to return to Cardassia, and to take a female Cardassian from a respectable family as your wife?” asked Tain.

“Yes. I will agree to the terms. Please just give me the antidote,” requested Elim holding out his hand. His breath caught as he saw the ring Julian had given him - what a fool he had been.

Tain removed a small vial from his inside pocket and placed it in Elim’s outstretched hand.

“I trust a week will be long enough for you to wrap up your affairs on the station son?” Elim gave a small nod in reply.

“Computer two to beam up. Energise.” At Miles’ command he and Elim de-materialised.

“Sometimes I forget just how good a liar you are,” remarked Mila.

“And I you,” replied Tain.

*** * * * * ***

“For what it is worth, I am sorry for how I reacted earlier, and for what happened just now,” said Miles as he locked-in the course for Deep Space Nine. “If Julian cares for you half as much as you appear to care for him, I know that he will be devastated when you tell him.”

“Chief,” spoke Elim sternly, “I will end things with Julian when we return to Deep Space Nine, but I am not going to tell him about Tain’s conditions, or that a dosage has to be given to him every 60 days.”

“Julian deserves to know the truth,” said Miles turning to Elim, the shuttle was now on auto-pilot.

“If Julian knows about the continued dosage, about the conditions, he will seek out Tain and try to right this," reasoned Elim. "You know that he would. And he would be running into the home of the most dangerous man in the quadrant. I cannot let him do that.”

“What are you going to tell him then?” asked Miles.

“I am going to tell him that Tain wanted some intelligence that I had once collected on the Romulan High Command. I can be a quite convincing liar when I need to be.”

“I meant the reason for you deciding to end the relationship, your marriage?” inquired Miles.

“I find the best lie is one that has a basis of truth,” observed Elim with a pained smile. “I will tell Julian that it is too dangerous for him to be with me. I will tell him that I cannot bear the possibility of waking-up to his cold body against my side again.”

“He won’t accept that Garak."

“He doesn’t have a choice,” stated Elim. “I will also tell him that I have been offered the chance to return to Cardassia which is what I have always wanted, but that I can’t do that with him by my side.”

“You're going to break his heart,” said Miles.

“It is better that then he go after Enabran Tain,” replied Elim pointedly.


	4. Quantum of Solace

“Elim,” breathed Julian as he came to at last. His voice was raspy, muffled, but Elim thought it the most wonderful thing that he had ever heard.

“Elim, whatever happened?” asked Julian as he blinked a few more times and his eyes took in his surroundings.

”Julian, you were poisoned,” replied Elim. “You’ve been in a coma.”

“How long for?” asked Julian warily.

“Around 14 hours.” Elim then paused and took a deep breath. “The man who arranged for you to be poisoned was called Enabran Tain, he-“

“-Enabran Tain,” repeated Julian. “I remember him. He helped me save your life. Why would he poison me?”

“To get to me. He wanted a piece of intelligence that I had collected while an agent on Romulus. You were my incentive to cooperate,” he explained. “The antidote was not in any Starfleet database. I am so sorry Julian. This was all my fault-”

“-no, only Tain was responsible for this. You have nothing to be sorry for,” assured Julian. “I will be fine now-”

“-but I was the one that brought Tain into your life,” interrupted Elim. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have almost died.”

“ _Almost_ died,” emphasised Julian. “I knew the risks well enough when I decided to go about seducing you,” he added, a small smile playing over his lips.

“You are so perfect,” mused Elim. “If I could live in this perfect moment in time with you then I would. I would pause the hour hand, the minute, the second.”

“That is a very romantic notion Elim,” commented Julian, trying hard not to blush.

“In that perfect moment we would talk, and laugh, and cry together,” continued Elim, his onyx eyes fixed on Julian. “We would dance in the moonlight, share candle lit dinners, and fall asleep in each other’s arms under a canopy of stars - just as we did in our honeymoon of a day. And in that long, absolutely perfect moment in time, we would debate the books that our children should ready as passionately as we debate classical literature now. And we would grow old together, creaky and wrinkled, and we wouldn’t care as we would have lived the most wonderful life in that perfect moment in time.”

“Elim, why are you telling me this?” asked Julian, a slight nervousness edging his voice. “Not that I mind romantic declarations from you.”

“I am so sorry Julian, but…our relationship cannot continue any longer.”

“What? I don’t understand,” replied Julian alarmed. He pushed himself up on the biobed. Elim took a step away from him and averted his eyes.

“Our relationship has been discovered and, as I feared, it has put you in immediate danger. I am not prepared to let you suffer because of my past,” stated Elim, forcing the lie from his lips.

Julian shook his head from side-to-side vehemently.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he retorted. “We discussed this right at the beginning. We both agreed that what we had was worth the risk, it was worth _every_ risk. Don’t you dare try to end this.”

“Julian, I have to. I refuse to let you live in danger because of me.” Elim tried to put some passion behind his words but it was too painful.

With a great deal of effort Julian managed to muster the strength to push himself off the biobed and stand in front of his husband. Julian saw Ensign Kahrimanis begin to come over from the other side of the infirmary, but at the look that Julian shot him he decided better of it.

“I can’t believe this” exclaimed Julian. “Are you actually being serious right now? I am a Starfleet officer onboard a space station that borders the Bajoran wormhole with the Dominion laying in wait on the other side. Hardly a moment seems to go by without me being in mortal danger of some kind or other. This is the life I chose, and most importantly of all I chose you Elim,” implored Julian.

“I know,” replied Elim, "but I have a choice too.” Elim removed his wedding ring, and carefully placed it in Julian’s numb hand. “And I am choosing a better life for you. I am also choosing a better life for myself. Tain has arranged for my exile to be revoked. I am going to go home at last.”

Julian watched, speechless, as Elim turned and left the infirmary. He could feel the cool metal in the palm of his hand, but it did not seem real. None of it seemed real. He then suddenly flung Elim’s ring across the infirmary, immediately having to steady himself on the biobed beside him.

Julian let himself sink down onto the cold infirmary floor. He moved a trembling hand to his face and tried to brush aside his tears – but they were falling too fast.

*** * * * * ***

Julian was required to remain in the infirmary for the next two hours for scans and further testing to ensure that he was fully recovered from the poison and that there were no unexpected side effects from the antidote.

During that time Sisko paid him a visit. He told Julian that he was extremely pleased that he appeared to be fully recovered from the poison. Sisko also expressed his disappointment at Julian’s non-disclosure of the transporters in his and Elims’ quarters – but stated that he believed no further action was necessary. Julian thanked Sisko and apologised. His response felt automatic, scripted – as if someone else were speaking for him. Sisko also informed Julian that Miles intended to stop by and visit him, however Julian managed to discharge himself before he arrived.

On entering his quarters Julian immediately noticed that Elim had already removed all of his belongings, no doubt using an illegal security override as the transporter had been dismantled. Julian headed for a shower, after which he changed into a pair of trousers and an old jumper and collapsed onto the sofa.

As Julian poured himself out a glass of Kanar from the bottle that Elim has so graciously left him, the door to his quarters chimed.

“Julian, I know you are in there. Please let me in,” spoke Miles from the other side.

“Miles, I am really not in the mood,” drawled Julian. He followed this by gulping down the entire glass of Kanar, and then pouring himself another.

“I know you’re not,” acknowledged Miles. “I won’t even say anything at all if you don’t want me to, but I don’t want you drinking alone after all that’s happened to you today. You put the fear of God into me Julian.”

“Enter then,” replied Julian. The door swooshed open and Miles entered. He raised a brow at the Kanar and elected to replicate himself a pint of root beer. He set himself down in the armchair closest to him.

“Elim has left me,” stated Julian. “He tried to make it sound like it was for my own good. I certainly begged to differ, but it was no use. He is returning to Cardassia - free from his exile at last,” he finished, raising his glass in a mock toast.

“I’m so sorry Julian.”

“Why are you sorry? Don’t you hate all Cardassians?” asked Julian sharply.

“No, not all Cardassians,” replied Miles. He had very recently discovered that there was perhaps one Cardassian that was an exception to his general rule. “I don’t doubt that you and Garak would have taken some getting used to, but I think, or rather I _hope_ , that I would have come around to you two being together. I am truly deeply sorry Julian.”

“I am sorry Miles, for all the lies that I told you to keep my relationship with Elim a secret.”

“I don’t blame you. I get why you did it.”

“Miles, I honestly don’t know how I am going to live each day of the rest of my life without him,” admitted Julian, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks again.

“None of us know what we can truly do until it is asked of us. But I know you Julian Bashir. I know that you are brave, resilient, and that you are always looking forwards, never backwards. You’ll make it through this, trust me,” assured Miles.

*** * * * * ***

Julian did not return to work for three days, and he spent a large proportion of that time in Quarks. He had very briefly considered making a trip to the Arawath Colony and confronting Tain, but he knew that it would do no good - Tain hadn’t forced Elim to leave him. Julian had heard a rumour that Elim’s shop was to be re-let as a charitable shop selling clothing in aid of the orphans on Bajor. He supposed that was a good use for the space.

Julian returned to work on the fourth morning after his coma.

“I am glad that you’re back Doctor Bashir. You look well,” greeted nurse Kabo with a smile. She was lying of course, he knew that he looked terrible, but he appreciated the sentiment. He smiled back and headed to his usual workstation.

He noticed that the ring he had given Elim was next to it, he breathed in, and then slipped it into the trouser pocket of his uniform.

“Nurse Kabo, what is today’s schedule?” asked Julian, keen to forget about the gold band in his pocket. His own ring was still in place on his ring finger. Strangely, he had not even thought of removing it.

“Ensign Sanger is coming in for her yearly medical in half an hour, followed by Ensign Tomson. Then this afternoon Lieutenant Vilix’pran will be coming in with his twins for their check-ups, also he is blooming again.”

“Again?” repeated Julian. He sighed, “they will most definitely be needing larger quarters this time, and most likely a larger hatchling pond.”

“Doctor Bashir,” spoke Kahrimanis, “before you start reading into those medical notes there is something important that I need to talk to you about in private.”

“Alright,” replied Julian, noting that Kahrimanis looked almost as bedraggled as he did.

Julian left his workstation and followed Kahrimanis into his office, the glass door slid shut behind them. Kahrimanis walked over to the main display screen and brought up a detailed analysis of what Julian assumed to be the poison that had been in his system.

“What is it that you need to talk to me about?” asked Julian.

“Before I administered the antidote that Chief O’Brien and Mr Garak retrieved, I first tested it on a sample of your blood.”

“Which was routine procedure,” intoned Julian.

“Doctor Bashir, the poison is still there,” stated Kahrimanis. “It appears that the poison never truly left your system, not all of it at least. A trace amount remained, attached to your DNA. If my analysis of your blood sample is correct, which after running the scan three times I am sure that it is, then it appears that the poison has been slowly reproducing itself.”

“I don’t understand, why didn’t the scans that you ran while I was here not pick this up?”

“I didn’t perform an in-depth analysis of your DNA,” replied Kahrimanis. “Only an extremely small amount of the poison remained in your system, coating your DNA as a very thin film. The problem is that it has become ingrained. It is impossible to remove the poison. We would need to have a full spectral analysis of your DNA on file. The type of data that is compiled by a patient laying in a biobed for half a day while a computer analyses-“

“-the blood production in the marrow, and every cell in the body,” finished Julian.

“Precisely, and obviously we don't have that data. I have been trying to synthesise an antidote all night long, but it is simply impossible,” sighed Kahrimanis. “From what I can see, you are going to need another dose of that antidote in two months-time, and every two months going forwards for the rest of your life.”

Julian did not know how to respond. He moved closer to the display and carefully ran his eyes over the results of the computer’s analysis.

“What prompted you to run an in-depth analysis of my DNA in the first place?” asked Julian. “It is not standard procedure.”

“There was an article on it in this week’s Lancet,” answered Kahrimanis. “It came out only yesterday.”

“It is a good thing that you ran that scan Ensign, otherwise I may never have known. Thank you,” said Julian, and he headed out of his office.

“Where are you going?” asked Kahrimanis.

“I need to speak with Elim Garak,” replied Julian over his shoulder. “I trust that you can perform the medical check-ups while I am gone?”

“Of course.”

*** * * * * ***

“You lied to me,” stated Julian, he strode into the tailor’s shop and placed his hands on the counter which Elim was stood behind.

The customers in the shop wisely chose to make themselves scarce.

“Julian-” began Elim.

“-you’re a barefaced liar.”

“That can hardly come as a revelation to you. However, may I ask what particular falsehood you are accusing me of?”

Elim did not know how much Julian had worked out - but he did know that whatever happened Julian and himself could never be together.

“You didn’t give Tain intelligence on the Romulans. The poison requires a dose of the antidote every two months for the rest of my life, and that means that it wasn’t a one-off trade. I want to know what you gave Tain in return for my life Elim?”

“Julian this won’t help-”

“-what did you agree to?” repeated Julian. “I swear that if you don’t tell me what it was, then I will go to Arawath Colony and ask Tain myself!”

“For goodness sake Julian, don’t you realise just how dangerous Tain is! He put you in a coma! And now you need an antidote every two months for the rest of your life or you will die!”

“What was the price?” repeated Julian undeterred, he lent forward on the counter and stared his husband down.

“The price was ending our relationship,” admitted Elim. He watched as Julian’s eyes widened. “I also had to agree to return to Cardassia, and to marry a Cardassian female from a respectable family.”

“What? Why does Tain care who you are married to?” asked Julian, his brow furrowed.

“Enabran Tain is my father.”

“You told me that you didn’t know who your parents were.”

“I lied,” replied Elim. “I suppose I was ashamed. I didn't want you thinking less of me because of it. I know it is no excuse, but it is the truth.”

“Elim, I promise that who your father is does not matter to me in the slightest,” assured Julian. “I need you to listen to me very carefully. There is a high warp courier leaving for Earth at noon today, and we are going to be on it. I am going to go now and ask Commander Sisko for three-week’s leave, and you are going to close-up this shop, pack, and meet me at the docking bay of that courier at 1130 hours.”

“Julian, I am not going to let you die-"

“-I have no intention of dying. I will explain everything to you when we are safely onboard that courier to Earth. For now, I just need you to trust me.”


	5. Never Say Never Again

Shortly after boarding, Julian and Elim, along with the other civilian passengers of whom there were around a dozen, were given a quick tour of the public areas of the courier which consisted of a small canteen, a well-equipped gymnasium, and an observation area. They were also introduced to the courier’s captain, a female Bolian called Maldrina and her second-in-command, a Terran male called Lucas whom Julian judged to be in his mid-sixties.

After the tour Elim and Julian were escorted to their quarters which were an adequate size for the six-day journey to Earth which lay ahead of them. In the main room there was a food replicator with a table to the side of it and four cushioned chairs, and at the far end, near to the archway which led onto the bedroom and ensuite, there was a two-seater sofa which faced a large view screen. In the bedroom there was a large double bed, an armchair beside a small computer terminal, and a dressing table.

Once they were alone Elim immediately began sweeping over their quarters in search of recording devices, meanwhile Julian modified the ambient temperature and unpacked their belongings.

“The rooms are clean,” commented Elim as he returned to the main room. Julian acknowledged him with a nod as he made his own way over to the table and pulled out a chair.

“That being the case Julian, can you please explain to me why I am on board this courier rather than making preparations for a one-way trip to Cardassia Prime?” requested Elim pleasantly. “Please tell me that you haven’t chosen a death sentence in sixty days-time for the sake of us having a little more time together?”

Julian glared at him from across the table.

“Elim if I chose to spend sixty days with you rather than living a life the terms of which were dictated by Tain - my every breath a blessing from him - that would be _my_ choice wouldn’t it?” demanded Julian. He didn’t have to raise his voice. “It wouldn’t be a decision that you could ever make for me _would it_?”

“I am sorry,” apologised Elim. “You are right. You have every reason to be angry with me.”

“I deserved to know the truth,” stated Julian, his voice containing a mixture of hurt and anger. “I deserved to know about your meeting with Tain, about the deadly poison that is presently replicating itself in _my_ body, and the real reason why you were leaving. I do not want or need you to be _my protector_ Elim. I want you to be _my partner,_ ” he emphasised.

“I know what I did was wrong, but I knew that if I were to tell you the truth then you would never have abided to the terms,” explained Elim, his pale blue eyes holding Julians’ pointed gaze. “I did not want you to die because of me. I still can’t bear the thought of it – please tell me why we are on our way to Earth?”

“I was beginning to think that it hadn’t been real between us,” admitted Julian, the anger seeping out and leaving only the pain. “I was questioning whether you had ever loved me – because how could you have possibly loved me when you had cast me aside to return to Cardassia?”

Elim moved around the table and knelt down beside him. Julian turned and allowed Elim to take his hands in his - his scaled hands were cool to the touch. Elim brought Julian’s caramel hands to his lips and kissed them.

“I love you Julian Bashir. I love you more than anything in this entire universe. I love you more than any man has ever loved. I will love you until the day I die, and longer still.”

“I love you too,” replied Julian with a smile, his first smile in days.

Then, unable to refrain a moment longer Julian moved forward and captured Elim’s lips with his own. Their kiss was desperate, unrestrained. The last three days had seemed like an eternity of hell which they both wanted to forget had ever happened. Julian deftly pulled Elim onto his feet and guided him towards their bedroom. They continued to kiss as Julian was backed up against the bed, but then, Elim pulled away and Julian immediately felt at sea.

“My dear, despite your best efforts to distract me, I am still very aware that you haven’t told me why we are onboard this courier?" observed Elim, his tone serious. "For better or for worse - I need to know what lies ahead."

Julian nodded - he really couldn’t put it off any longer. He sat himself down on the edge of the bed and Elim sat down beside him. He took Julian’s hand in his and squeezed it gently.

“Okay,” breathed Julian, “…the truth is that we are going to Earth to visit my parents, but not to say goodbye or anything. My parents should be able to provide us with a data rod containing an in-depth analysis of my DNA which I can then use as a baseline for destroying the remaining poison in my system. The plan should work,” spoke Julian. "I should be cured."

“I don’t understand - if it is that simple then why didn’t Ensign Kahrimanis suggest doing it?" asked Elim. "And why didn’t you just ask for your parents to send you the data rather than us making a six-day journey to Earth?”

“Kahrimanis didn’t suggest it because he had no reason to believe that an in-depth analysis of my DNA had ever been done. It is a very time-consuming process. Days of lying in a bed being pricked, prodded and scanned…it is only performed legally in highly unusual circumstances.”

“So why was such an analysis performed on you?” asked Elim.

“Because my parents had me genetically enhanced, illegally,” replied Julian turning to look at Elim. He noticed Elim’s jaw drop slightly at the statement, and his pupils dilate a little. “When I was only six years old they took me to Adigeon Prime to be genetically enhanced,” continued Julian. “Apparently I was slow for my age. My parents did it so that I would be smarter, quicker, more agile, with improved hand-eye coordination, stamina, vision, reflexes, and weight, height…there was nothing of the original Julian, or rather Jules left, by the end of it all…If Starfleet were to find out I would probably lose my commission and my medical licence," confessed Julian his heart beating rapidly in his chest. "Elim please say something."

“I, I just need a minute to process…” replied Elim.

Julian nodded, his gaze fell to their still joined hands.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” asked Elim at length. “Would you ever have told me?”

“I don't know, possibly, probably. I didn’t want you to look at me as some kind of freak,” admitted Julian. “That is how everyone seems to regard people like me - they consider augments to be unfeeling computing machines, but with amplified ambition. Dangerous.”

“You are far from being an unfeeling computing machine Julian. You are the most loving person I know. I just wish that you had felt able to tell me. This is a very large part of yourself to keep concealed from people”

“To be honest, it is and it isn’t," commented Julian. "What I mean is, I have been playing down my intelligence and my abilities all my life, I have grown used to it. I know the boundary between being excellent and being a genius and I stay on the right side of the line."

“You were the youngest ever person to be nominated for a Carrington Award?” observed Elim with a wry smile, and Julian felt a wave of relief pass over him at Elim lightening the mood.

“Yes, but I didn’t win the award did I?” remarked Julian with a small smile of his own. Elim laughed at that and Julian felt him squeeze his hand.

“No, I suppose you didn’t,” he agreed, his eyes gleaming.

“Are you alright?” asked Julian.

“I am more than alright my dear,” replied Elim, “because by a miracle you are going to live.”

Elim then placed a tender kiss on his husband’s lips. Julian deepened the kiss, and as he did so Elim felt a familiar piece of metal slide back onto his ring finger. They parted and Elim cast his eyes to the gold ring, and then back up to Julian.

“Don’t you dare give it back to me ever again.”

“Never.”


	6. You Only Live Twice

After six days of playing kotra, Cardassian flirting, and enjoying far too many glasses of Kanar whilst watching old Earth classics, their courier finally arrived at a docking station in orbit above Earth, and they disembarked and boarded a transport vessel headed to central London.

“I don’t know why my parents insisted on meeting us at the station,” complained Julian as their transport vessel approached St Pancras.

“You told me that you hadn’t seen your parents in almost three years,” replied Elim, “perhaps they are just excited to see you. Also, it _is_ your birthday” he added with a knowing smile. Julian groaned in the seat next to him.

“Don’t remind me.”

“Your thirtieth birthday no less.”

“Why thankyou - I had no idea _old man_ ,” retorted Julian with a mock scowl.

“Careful dear, don’t forget that I am meeting your parents for the first time – who knows what embarrassing details I may be able to illicit from them.”

Julian groaned again and sunk further into seat.

*** * * * * ***

No sooner had the door of the transport vessel slid open did Julian’s sharp eyes catch sight of his mother and father as they stood waiting for them behind the barriers of the landing area - they both were smiling widely, his mother even had her arms open. Elim placed a hand to the small of his husband’s back and Julian reluctantly forced his feet down the ramp.

Elim stood back as Julian embraced his parents in turn. He noted that the embraces were strained on Julian’s part.

“Elim I would like you to meet my mother and father, Amsha and Richard Bashir,” introduced Julian as he returned to his husband’s side.

“A pleasure,” said Elim with a small smile and a slight incline of his head.

“It is very nice to meet you Elim,” returned Amsha. She was a pretty woman thought Elim; he could see Julian in her large brown orbs immediately.

“Yes, we’ve been looking forward to meeting you ever since Julian told us the news. Welcome to the family Elim,” said Richard with a broad grin as he extended his hand. Elim looked at the outstretched hand curiously for a moment, then gathering himself he smiled and shook it.

“Thank you, it is very nice to for you to say so.”

“Shall we,” said Julian in a clipped tone as he gestured to the lift behind them.

“Why yes of course,” replied Amsha as she took one of Julian’s bags, Richard also insisting on helping Elim. “I have cooked your favourite for dinner Jules,” stated Amsha as they made their way towards the lift, “after all it is not every day that you turn thirty.”

*** * * * * ***

The taxi took them to Richard and Amsha’s house on the outskirts of the city. It was a small house, one of the few remaining homes built from bricks and mortar, but it had a long garden which meant it was perfect for Richard and Amsha.

The guestroom Richard showed them to was garishly pink, with twentieth century oak furniture and a double-bed dressed in pale green linen. Ignoring the affront to his eyes, Elim thanked Richard for showing them to their room.

“Now I know where you get your sense of fashion from,” remarked Elim once he was sure that Richard was out of earshot.

“What do you think of them?” asked Julian, ignoring Elim's comment.

“Honestly - they seem to be very nice,” he answered. “They certainly care very much about you, and they are very proud of you too, that much is very evident.”

Richard’s boasts about Julian’s achievements had lasted nearly the entire taxi journey, it was only brought to an end by Elim assuring Richard that he knew fore well how wonderful his son was – he had asked him to marry him after all.

“You know better than most that appearances can be deceiving,” spoke Julian.

“You doubt that they genuinely care for you?” inquired Elim.

“When I was only six years old my parents were not content with me as I was so they decided to alter my genetics; they rewired my DNA so that they could have a _better_ son. I struggle to believe that people capable of doing that could ever truly love a child,” replied Julian in a tone that left no room for argument.

“I am sorry that you have had to make this trip,” spoke Elim as he approached his husband and took his hand in his, his fingers gliding over the wedding ring.

“I am just glad that I have you here with me,” replied Julian.

*** * * * * ***

Julian’s favourite meal was an old English dish called toad-in-the-hole, which consisted of sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding batter with lots of gravy and vegetables. Julian had insisted that he attempt to cook it for Elim when they had just started courting and it had been an unmitigated disaster. He had used far too much oil and if it hadn’t been for Elim’s quick reactions he would have given himself third degree burns when taking the dish out of the oven. Luckily for Julian, Elim found his hopelessness and general clumsiness to be endearing, he also discovered that he rather liked toad-in-the-hole if it was replicated or prepared by Amsha Bashir.

The conversation moved from Julian’s childhood, to Richard’s business affairs, through to gardening and a dozen other topics, but Julian was yet to ask after the data rod. He was afraid, and Elim knew it - which is why he did not push him.

“So how does a Cardassian tailor end up working on Deep Space Nine?” asked Richard from across the table. Elim took a moment to consider.

“With the Bajoran wormhole there is a lot of traffic that comes through the station,” he replied. “Before the Dominion threat it was an exceedingly good place to do business as a tailor.”

“And now?” inquired Richard.

“Now, it is still profitable, just, but I now have a more important reason for staying,” he answered with a small smile.

“When Jules was ten we had the most adorable tux made to measure – I am sure we have a holovid of him wearing it,” said Richard with a grin.

“What use would a ten year old have with a tuxedo?” asked Elim, he was genuinely intrigued.

“Father please don’t,” pleaded Julian, though Richard of course ignored his protestation - just like he had been doing all evening.

“A tux is what secret agent 007 wore,” answered Richard. “Jules has always loved spies.”

“He has?” inquired Elim innocently.

“After a professional tennis player, and being a doctor, that was what he most wanted to do when he grew up,” replied Richard.

“I had no idea,” said Elim as he turned to Julian who was blushing furiously beside him - he wished that the ground beneath him would open-up and swallow him whole.

“How is your dinner Elim,” asked Amsha. “I would hate to poison you on your first visit to our home.”

Elim and Julian both startled at the comment.

“What is it?” asked Amsha. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” assured Julian after a few moments. “It’s just…there is something that I need to ask you.”

“You mean the real reason that you are here,” stated Richard matter-of-factly. “We may not have your super intellect Jules, but we are not fools. Before last week you hadn’t sent us a message in over a six months, but now, all of a sudden you are making a journey to Earth to visit us? You are in some kind of trouble aren’t you?”

Julian nodded.

“I am,” he confessed, “I am in trouble.”

“What is it?” asked Amsha, taking a hold of her son's hand from across the table. “Whatever it is we are here for you. Has someone found out about your enhancements?”

“No, it’s not that,” replied Julian. “I have been poisoned...there is a poison in my system right now, it is killing me-“

“Oh Jules!” exclaimed his mother, and Richard put a comforting arm round her and held her close.

“It is possible to eradicate the poison for good,” Julian continued, “but only if there exists an in-depth analysis of my DNA prior to the poison being ingested.”

He took a deep breath - all his hope rested on this.

“I hoped that you may still have the data rod on Jules which was made on Adigeon Prime?”

His mother visibly calmed, and Julian felt her squeeze his hand.

“Yes Jules, of course we do – we would never destroy that.”

Julian let out the breath he had been holding, and at the same time he noticed Elim relax beside him.

“That’s amazing,” said Julian smiling. “Is the data rod here?”

“Yes - we keep it in the safe along with our other memories of you before the enhancements,” answered Richard. “Jules, is what you are going to do to yourself dangerous?”

“No, not all. I will be fine,” replied Julian, casually brushing off his father’s concerns.

Elim of course noticed the repeated assurance - once they were alone he intended to press Julian further about the possible dangers of the procedure.

*** * * * * ***

It was not long after they had returned to their room that Elim confronted Julian.

“Exactly how dangerous is the procedure?” he asked him, already knowing the answer.

“With proper supervision it normally wouldn’t be dangerous at all," began Julian, sitting down on the bed. "However, I would need to perform the procedure on myself…I won't lie to you - there are definite risks Elim. I am not an expert in this field,” he admitted. “If it wouldn’t mean putting my parents behind bars then I would come straight out and confess what I am to Starfleet so that I could have the procedure performed by an expert-"

“You said your career in Starfleet would be over and you would be stripped of your medical licence if they were to find out.”

“They most likely would be," confirmed Julian. The answer gave no illusion to the danger involved.

“Then we need to find another way," stated Elim. "What if we were to go to Adigeon Prime for the procedure?”

“Starfleet have been gradually increasing security around Adigeon Prime for the past decade, it would be extremely difficult to reach the planet unnoticed.”

“Julian if the risks of you performing the procedure on yourself are so high that you would throw away your career and medical licence given the choice, then I am sure we can find a way of getting around Starfleet security. What good is having a former Obsidian Order agent as your husband if I can't manage that.”

“I understand what you are saying Elim…it's just-"

"-you have never betrayed Starfleet before," finished Elim. "There is always another option. Tain’s terms-”

“-not a chance," stated Julian firmly. "I am never agreeing to those terms. A chance of us being together, however small, is worth infinitely more to me than Starfleet", assured Julian. "Let's continue this in the morning. I feel exhausted."

"Of course."

*** * * * * ***

“Amsha I thought you were never going to come to bed,” said Richard. He then caught sight of her face. “Love what’s wrong?”

”It’s Jules. I realised that I had forgotten to leave out a second blanket for Elim. I went to drop it off but just as I was about to knock on the door I heard them talking...Richard the procedure is not as safe as Jules said it was.”


	7. No Time To Die

Julian awoke to the warmth of the sun upon his face as it poured in through the bedroom window. He smiled as Elim’s hold of him tightened.

“Do you know what time it is?” he mumbled over his shoulder.

“I have no idea.”

“My internal clock is telling me it’s 08:57...”

“That early,” observed Elim causing Julian to smile.

“I suppose another five minutes wouldn’t hurt. Mind you, we don’t want my mother coming in to rouse us…”

“You do have a point,” relented Elim as he placed a tender kiss upon Julian’s shoulder. “That would certainly be less than ideal.”

After a few moments Julian felt Elim’s hold of him slacken, and he rolled over to watch Elim get out of the bed from under the covers and walk over to the bag containing their clothes. His eyes roamed over his husband’s broad back and muscular limbs. Elim turned, and with a raised ocular ridge he passed over Julian's clothes.

“I honestly don’t know if I am up for another day of my parent’s pretending to love me,” muttered Julian as he got out of bed and began getting dressed.

“Your parents _do_ love you,” assured Elim. Julian shook his head.

“No, they don’t. They still call me Jules even though they know that I no longer go by that name.”

“I know they do, but they don’t do it with any malice. Jules is what they named you, it’s what they’ve always known you as.”

“But Jules is gone,” stated Julian as he sat down on the edge of the bed, now fully dressed.

After smoothing down his tunic, Elim sat down beside him.

“He really isn’t.”

Julian immediately open his mouth to disagree but Elim cut off his retort.

“My dear, Jules was never erased. The most important aspects of Jules, of you, were not genetically enhanced. He is in everything you say and in everything you do.”

“How can you say that Elim?” asked Julian bewildered.

“I can see both your parents in you. The best aspects of them shine in you and were undoubtedly _always_ a part of you,” replied Elim matter-of-factly. “By which I mean your confidence and enthusiasm, and your compassion and caring nature, along with your capacity to ramble, inability to hide your emotions and your keenness to please. It is true that your intellect was enhanced in order to make your daily life less of a struggle, but _you_ weren’t,” stated Elim, his light blue eyes unflinchingly fixed on Julian. “I believe that it was your compassion and your amazing capacity to love without prejudice which stopped you from becoming another Khan. That was all Jules. That is all you,” he finished.

It took a while for Julian to find his voice.

“Elim…I…I understand what you are saying, but please don’t pretend that you would have fallen in love with me if I wasn’t enhanced…if I wasn’t improved,” he said shakily. Elim looked at him confused. “I wouldn’t have been able to debate literature with you or have been able to challenge you at Kontra. I probably wouldn’t even have been able to flirt with you…” he admitted.

“My dear I didn’t marry you to discuss literature – I could join a book club for that,” replied Elim pointedly. “I married you because of everything that was not enhanced. I would have most certainly loved Jules. I _do_ love Jules,” spoke Elim with complete sincerity, eliciting a small smile from Julian. “And with regards to flirting – all you had to do was look at me and I was irrevocably yours,” he added.

“You really mean it don’t you?”

“Every word.”

Elim put an arm round him and Julian rested his head on his husband’s shoulder. Another five minutes wouldn’t hurt.

*** * * * * ***

Around ten minutes later Julian and Elim made their way downstairs and into the kitchen. Amsha was busily frying eggs and there were rashes of bacon and sausages being grilled. They each took a seat at the kitchen table, and Julian poured them both a glass of orange juice.

“This breakfast looks delightful,” observed Elim with a wide smile. “Amsha, did you sleep well?”

Amsha nodded in reply, her attention still focused on the eggs.

“Where’s dad?” asked Julian curiously, as he peered out of the kitchen window he was unable to see him in the garden.

“Your father had an errand to run…you know him and his projects,” replied Amsha. Her voice seemed strained.

“What’s wrong?” asked Julian as he got up from his chair and moved over to her. She kept her back to him.

“Please tell me what it is,” repeated Julian softly.

“Jules.”

That was Richard’s voice. Startled, he turned to see him standing in the doorway, and Rear Admiral Bennett of all people beside him. Julian’s eyes widened, and he felt himself inwardly start to panic – what had his father done this time? Amsha meanwhile stopped cooking the breakfast, which was mostly burnt anyway, and went over to Richard’s side. She took a hold of Richard’s hands and when she turned around Julian saw that her eyes were red and puffy.

“I don’t understand what is going on-”

“-Jules, it is all over at last,” stated Richard. “I confessed everything to Starfleet this morning.”

“You- you did what?” spluttered Julian.

“You will keep your commission and your medical licence, and I will spend two years in a minimum-security penal colony in New Zealand,” explained Richard.

“They can’t put you away for two years!” exclaimed Julian.

“We broke the law Jules. Two years is more than fair.”

“I don’t understand. Why would you do this?”

“Amsha overheard you talking with Elim last night,” answered Richard. “The only reason you hadn’t gone to Starfleet and confessed to being enhanced was because you wanted to protect us. But we are your parents Jules. It is our job to protect you, not the other way round.”

Julian didn’t know what to say.

“We love you Jules,” said Amsha softly, she then left her husband’s side and brought Julian into a hug. Richard followed suit.

“Everything is going to be okay” promised Richard. “You are going to get better, and in two years’ time we can all sit down at this table again, but with no secrets.”

Julian slowly nodded; he would like nothing more than that. He found himself hugging them both again.

“Thank you…thank you so much…” he breathed.

“Lieutenant Bashir,” interrupted Bennett, causing Julian to straighten up, “your father tells me that you need a complex medical procedure in order to rid your body of a poison which is slowly killing you.” Julian nodded grimly. “I have taken the liberty of arranging an appointment for you with Professor Maximillian Horward at Starfleet Medical at 0800 hours today, so that he can assess you and then begin the procedure as soon as possible.”

“Thank you sir,” replied Julian. “I recognise the name…it was Professor Howard that published the paper on in-depth DNA analysis which made the cure possible.”

“You couldn’t be in safer hands,” stated Bennett. “You should know that I have informed Captain Sisko that you are genetically enhanced. Like myself he was disappointed that you had not come forward earlier, but he assured me that you are a fine officer and an excellent Chief Medical Officer. You owe your commission and your licence to him.” Julian nodded his understanding. “I wish you well in your treatment.”

“Thank you sir.”

After looking curiously at Elim for a moment, and deciding it probably better not to ask, Bennett elected to wait outside as Richard goodbye to his family.

*** * * * * ***

Not long after Richard’s departure, Julian and Elim called for a transport to take them to central London. From the Starfleet offices in London they then used a site-to-site transport to take them to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco.

“I feel dreadful leaving my mother all alone,” admitted Julian as they crossed the grounds that led to the medical building. The path they were walking along was wide and tree-lined, and every so often they would pass a border planted-up with the finest specimens.

“The best way of making her happy is to get this horrid poison out of you,” stated Elim.

“It won’t come soon enough...I think I am starting to feel the effects of the poison still being in me,” confessed Julian.

Elim nodded, and took Julian’s hand in his. Across his body he wore a leather satchel containing a box with the data rod that held the analysis of Julian’s DNA from before the poisoning. He would protect it with his life if necessary.

*** * * * * ***

The medical building had a clinical feel, which was to be expected. From the reception they were escorted to Professor Howards’ office which was very spacious with views that overlooked the gardens. Julian and Elim sat themselves down in the two chairs which were before the long white desk in the centre of the room. They waited anxiously for Professor Howard to arrive. The office contained the models of various alien DNA structures – Klingon, Vulcan, Cardassian…

Julian was pulled out of his thoughts by a man suddenly striding into the office and taking a seat behind the desk. He didn’t seem at all interested in pleasantries.

“Doctor Bashir, I presume? I take it you have the data rod containing your DNA analysis with you?” he asked bruskly.

“Here it is,” said Elim as he passed over the box containing the data rod.

“And you are?” asked Professor Howard in a tone that was unmistakably rude.

“Elim Garak, Julian’s husband.”

“Of course you are…” muttered Professor Howard. He then placed the data rod into the console beside him and brought up the relevant file on this display screen to his left. His eyes quickly ran over the contents. “…yes, I think we have exactly what we need.”

There was a darkness beneath his eyes. Evidently Professor Howard had not had much in the way of sleep - no doubt due to the scheduling of the early morning appointment by Bennett.

“You will be able to perform the procedure?” inquired Julian.

“Yes, I will” he replied. “You will need to spend most of today on a bio-bed being scanned. When I have that data I can then compare the DNA analyses and program the Nanites to destroy the film of poison that is coating your DNA. The procedure will take around 48 hours, during which I recommend that you stay here under close observation.”

“Of course,” agreed Julian. Despite Professor Howard’s attitude he was unable to stop smiling - he was going to be free at last.

“Am I able to stay with Julian during the scan and the procedure?”

“Mr Garak, it makes no difference to me where you are,” replied Professor Howard, with not so much as a glance towards him.

Elim smiled and nodded. Elim was not unused to prejudice towards Cardassians but in truth he had not expected it from such a revered a doctor. Julian looked between him and Professor Howard, and for a moment he was reminded of the infamous words of the Bard – _‘Why, I can smile and murder whiles I smile’._

“Well that’s good, because I would like him by my side always,” stated Julian.

*** * * * * ***

After Julian had spent around 12 hours on a bio-bed being scanned, he and Elim headed to their lodging for the evening which was a half-hour walk from the medical building.

“Elim, you were tense for the entire walk. What is bothering you?” asked Julian, once they had stepped into the apartment.

“Doesn’t it all seem a bit too easy to you?” answered Elim. Julian didn't seem to understand so he expanded. “Finding the cure in an article that was published the very same week that you were poisoned, and now the treatment being performed by the very same man who wrote that article.”

“It was coincidental I suppose, but not wildly so,” replied Julian. “What are you thinking Elim? That this is all part of some grand scheme of your fathers?” he asked slightly defensively. “Tell me - what is the point of poisoning me and then curing me - it makes no sense at all.”

“Unless he isn’t curing you. I mean not _just_ curing you,” Elim quickly clarified.

Julian looked at him confused.

“I know that you will undoubtedly disapprove...but while I was waiting for your scan to finish I made a mirror copy of the files that Professor Howard was editing."

Julian sighed, he did disapprove.

“It was just your medical files dear, so no confidentiality laws have been broken from that perspective,” reasoned Elim. “But if you would humour me, I would like to know how the data that I copied from his data pad compares to the ‘official’ updates on your medical file,” said Elim as he placed a data rod in Julian’s hand.

“Okay,” agreed Julian. “I will take a look at it now.”

“A Raktajino?” asked Elim with a smile.

“You had better make it a large one,” commented Julian as he sat himself down in front of the computer console.

*** * * * * ***

“Anything?” asked Elim around an hour later. He had attempted to distract himself by reading an enigma tale but had found it impossible.

“You could say that…” spoke Julian, Elim looked up alarmed. “The procedure that Professor Howard has planned isn’t just designed to destroy the poison. It is combined with a new and very specific enhancement.”

“What enhancement?” asked Elim.

Julian shook his head, hardly believing the words that tumbled out of his mouth.

“We would be able to have children,” he answered.

“The best lies have a basis in truth...” mused Elim quietly.

“What did you say?”

“When I met with my father he spoke about heirs, about his 'legacy’...I suppose this was his way of securing it,” explained Elim.

“He knew how I had my tea, that we were living together...I suppose it should have been obvious that he would know about my genetic enhancements as well,” spoke Julian as he moved from the console to sit beside Elim on the sofa. “What do you want to do now that we know?” he asked nervously.

“What do you want to do?" replied Elim. "It is your body. You would be the one carrying our child in the future, not me.”

“I always imagined that one day we would have children together,” replied Julian. “I want that perfect moment in time you that described to be real,” he said as he looked into Elim’s eyes.

“I want that too,” said Elim softly.

“And I want our children to be made from our love... does that sound ridiculous?”

“Not to me,” smiled Elim his eyes sparkling with unshed tears. “You realise that it would be giving Tain what he wants-” he began cautiously.

“-I don’t care about the course of events that led us here,” stated Julian firmly. “I don’t care about Tain at all. This is our decision. _Our_ future,” he emphasised. “And I want to have your children.”

Elim found that could not hold back a moment longer and he pulled Julian into a searing kiss which Julian melted into.

*** * * * * ***

After the procedure was completed, Julian and Elim decided to journey to the Arawath Colony to confront Tain. However, when they arrived, they found only Mila was there.

Mila did her best to assure them that Julian had never been in any real danger. That Julian would have either received the antidote for the rest of his life or he would have been cured by Professor Howard, whose family Tain had abducted the week before the poisoning.

Elim asked Mila whether she had tried to stop Tain. Her reply was that if their love was true then they would always have won, and if it wasn’t, then they didn’t deserve to. The first test was for Elim – whether he was prepared to sacrifice his happiness for Julian’s life, and the second test was for Julian – whether he was prepared to admit to his genetic enhancements and risk his career for a life with Elim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap folks! I hope you enjoyed the story, please let me know what you thought of it. Much love xxx


End file.
